Ukraine Wants to Deprive Its Deputies of Immunity

Speaker Arseny Jatsenyuk instructed corresponding profile committees to consider urgently and prepare the project of changes in the Constitution concerning canceling of deputy immunity. He declared it after termination of conciliatory advice on Thursday. According to Jatsenyuk, canceling of immunity is very important point, but profile committee has not considered it till now.

To the question why he didn't agree with the offer of the party "Our Ukraine - National Self-defense" to bring the corresponding project independently, that, according to Roman Zvarych, is stipulated by the rules, Jatsenyuk answered that "it's hardly possible to make changes to the Constitution chaotically", "Ukrainian Truth" informed.

"If we shall accept changes in the Constitution chaotically, we shall come to legal nihilism, therefore unanimous decision that it is impossible to consider changes in the Constitution in such a way, that it's necessary to pass corresponding procedures is accepted", - Jatsenyuk said.

"It is very correct initiative so there will be no charges tomorrow that the Ukrainian Constitution varies much easier, than some instruction. Therefore we shall bring this bill as it is demanded by the current legislation", - he added.

The deputy of the Supreme Rada Roman Zvarych ("Our Ukraine - National Self-defense") accuses members of committee of the Rada in failure of consideration of the bill on canceling of deputy immunity on the legal policy from the Communist Party and the Party of Regions.

"The problem of a canceling of deputy immunity consists in the fact that the legal committee failed to gather quorum as the Party of Regions and Communists boycott its session", - the press-service of "Our Ukraine - National Self-defense" transfers Zvarych's words.

The Communist Party of Ukraine insists on batch voting on canceling of immunity of deputies, officials and the president. The Party of Regions is pro simultaneous canceling of immunity of the president, judges and deputies.

- Canceling of deputy immunity is very dangerous step, - editor-in-chief of FORUM.msk Anatoly Baranov commented on the situation. - As to the immunity of officials and judges - is less debatable question as executive and legislative branches of authority have many opportunities for abusing their posts and their deducing from a zone of legal responsibility more likely harms, than helps. The matter with deputies, legislators is different. Specificity of their work is such that they don't have serious powers to carry out cognizable cases. I .e. their offences basically are crimes of private persons. Yes, the deputy can knock down somebody by a car, rape secretary or even to kill someone in drunk fight - I result cases which took place in due time in various parliaments. But these are the smallest, local questions not comparable with possibility to render on legislators direct influence from the part of other branches of authority in case of canceling of immunity. What independence of deputies you are talking about if the judge or public prosecutor could sue them. If the militiaman can stop the deputy car, slip drugs and so on, as we see pretty often in relation to the citizens who are not protected by special law? Yes, there are certain charges of deputy immunity, they are known but consequences of canceling of immunity can bring greater negative changes for a society. As an example - several years ago deputies of the Moscow municipal Duma refused together from immunity. Also what happen? There is no in Russia more servile body, than Moscow City Council which regularly stamps all the documents lowered from executive authority. And canceling of immunity in the Supreme Rada can very quickly, almost imperceptibly bring to sharp curtailing of democratic processes in Ukraine. Russia is already suffering such creeping totalitarization, when the country relaxed at Putin and decided to take pleasure. Instead of pleasure we receive leather show. Recurrence in Ukraine won't be desirable.

"I understand that canceling of immunity is a part of a package of populist measures, - Anatoly Baranov noted. - People like it when deputies become closer to them. But it is necessary not to forget that besides legislative and representation functions, tribunitian function is also fixed after the deputy, that is a target of direct protection of interests of the voter. And independence of the deputy in this case is his main weapon for protection of these interests. Whether the Ukrainian voters wish to deprive deputies of this weapon? I am not sure that everybody has thought about it".